DISPOSABLE HEARING AIDS A LOT EASIER ON POCKETBOOK

The ability to listen and listen well is Thomas (Tim) White's strength. 

An English teacher at Benet Academy in Lisle and deacon at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Aurora, the 64-year-old's livelihood, as well as his heart and soul, depend on his listening skills. 

Seven years ago, when the 42-year teaching veteran noticed that "What?" had taken over his vocabulary, White decided to get his hearing tested. 

He discovered he had a hearing loss he could no longer ignore. 

The Aurora resident invested in a $2,000 hearing aid - and wore it out in three years. It didn't add up, at least not to the cost- conscious teacher. 

"That hearing aid lasted just three years, and every three weeks I had to buy batteries. Breaking down the cost of the hearing aid and batteries, I figured it cost me about $900 a year," he said. 

So when it was time to buy another hearing aid, White decided to try a new technology that has been on the market just two months. Disposable hearing aids, priced at $40 and with a 40-day life span, proved to be just the ticket. 

The aids are winning over baby boomers who are coming to terms with their own hearing deficits. Many are reluctant to invest in more expensive models that can cost between $1,000 and $3,000, with digital technology running even higher. 

"This is a low-risk way for people to see what hearing aids can do for them," said Ronna Fisher, a licensed clinical audiologist and owner of Hearing Health Center in Naperville and Chicago. 

An estimated one-third of Americans older than age 65 and one- half of people over 75 have hearing deficits. About 5 million people age 45 to 54 struggle with mild to moderate hearing loss - and that number is growing rapidly. 

A national health survey reported that hearing problems among people over 45 increased 26 percent from 1971 to 1990. While the number of people with untreated hearing loss increased by 56 percent, hearing aid sales remained flat. 

That signaled hearing aid manufacturers that something needed to change. 

Songbird Inc. figured if baby boomers could accept disposable cameras and contact lens, throwaway hearing aids would be a hit. 

The company was right. The new technology is winning over patients and audiologists like Fisher in Naperville and Adelle Olmetti, an audiologist with Dr. Sorrel Fagel, an ear, nose and throat physician at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village. 

"They're wonderful, I like them sometimes better than traditional hearing aids," Olmetti said. "There's no battery door, so the microphone is much bigger. And because it fits farther into the ear canal, the sound is more natural." 

After a patient is examined by a physician to rule out any medical problems, a licensed audiologist such as Fisher or Olmetti evaluates the patient's hearing level. 

The audiologist fits the patient with a test pair of hearing aids, which are connected to a programmer. It determines which of seven audio settings is most suitable. 

Olmetti, who has fit 10 people ages 28 to 74, likes to give patients a test-drive with the new appliance. 

"I let them wear it for maybe a half hour, walk around, even go to the lobby to make sure they're comfortable with everything." 

Once the right setting is found, a disposable pair is put in place. And the patient, with 30-day approval, becomes the owner of a very affordable hearing aid with no batteries, and no cleaning or adjustments to be made. 

"The best part of this is you're not married to it. If you don't like it, throw it away," Olmetti said. 

The hearing aids come in only two sizes and are not for people who have very small ear canals, oddly shaped canals or very severe hearing loss. 

White says his disposable hearing aid is less comfortable than his older hearing aid. But he likes that it's easier on his wallet - about $750 a year, he figures. 

Going without a hearing aid wasn't an option for White, who can't imagine ever retiring from his profession. 

"They're just wonderful kids," says White. "You need to hear 'em."

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